Clapboard-holder.



PATENTED DEC. 25, 1906.

AIfPLIOiATION FILE- D JUNE 1,1906.

WITNESSES: v I AWE/V702. /g%/g; z z. A TTORNE Y5 THE NORRIS rrTiRs co.,wAsmnnMLv. n.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. EDWARD J. VHEQBERT, or BELLEROSE,LOUISIANA.

CLAPBOARD-HOLDERL Patented Dec. 25, 1906.

Application filed June 1, 190a seriaiiio. 319,775.

To all whom it may-concern: 1

Be it known that I, EDWARD J. HEBERT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bellerose, in the parish of Assumption and State ofLouisiana, have invented a new and useful Clapboard-Holder, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The present invention-relates to an adjustable gage and clapboard-support designed for use in nailing the boards in their proper position onthe sides of buildings. It relates to a device of this character whichisadapted to be adjustably attached to one board after another in order tosupport a succeeding board preparatory to its being nailed in position;I

The objects of the invention are to improve and simplify devices of thischaracter, to provide an adjustable gage which combinestherewith asupport or rest for holding the boards so thatthey can be sawed or theirends-dressed, and to employ a simple means for attaching the supportto'the board.

With these' and other objects in view,

' as will appear as-the nature of the invention is better understood,the same comprises the novel features of construction and-arrangement ofparts fully set forth in the following description and pointed out withparticularity in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one of the embodiments oftheiinvention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device. Fig. 2 is aside elevation showing the same in operation, portions being broken awayto show the details of construction. Fig. 3. is a plan view.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated throughout bysimilar characters of reference.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the frame or body of thesupport, the same being made of a block of wood, a metal casting, or anysuitable material. The frame, though shown as a parallelepiped, may beof any desired shape. At the lower corner of the body 1 and extendinghorizontally from the lefthand side thereof a lug 2, provided withupwardly-extending. spurs 3, which are adapted to enga e the bottom edgeof a clapboard.

Adjacent t e top of the frame or body are arranged the hook-shaped jawmembers 4, one being pivoted on both the front and rear side of theframe. The hooks 5 of these members are adapted to bite into the sidesurface of the clapboard that rests on the stationary jaw 2, therebyholding the frame 1 in position so as to support the next'succeedingclapboard to be nailed in place. The members 4 are preferably made fromsuitably stiff sheet-metal stock and are provided with from the points5. They are pivoted on the opposite end of a pivotin 8, that extendstransversely through the lock from the front to the rear sides thereof.

The movable jaw membersl4 are actuated by a handelever 9, comprising agrip and two parallel arms 11, extending along the sides of the frameand connected at their upper ends with the members 4. The lever ispivoted to the frame by the pivot-pin'12. The arms 11 of the lever areconnected to the jaws 4 by pivots' 13 or other devices that are'adaptedto freely move in the slots 7. By this arrangement the tilting of thehand-lever moves the jaws to or from their operative position. At theupper left-hand corner of the body are 'lugs or projections 14, whichare adapted to rest against the board to which the device is attached.

To attach the device to a clapboard, the frame is adjusted by hand sothat the jaw 2 engages the under side of the board, and the pro ections14 are placed against the front surface thereof. The hand-lever, beingpre- 'viously moved to position shown by dotted- .lines in Fig. 2, isnext depressed, thereby causing the points or hooks f the movable jawsto bite into the front. side of the board. When the hooks 5 are driveninto the wood in this manner, they are held in position by the lever 9,which assumes a vertical position, as

shown by full lines in Fig. 2. By reference to this figure it will beseen that the fulcrum-.

12 of the hand-lever is directly below the pivotal points 13, so thatthe jaws 4 are effectively held in position or locked by the lever. Theframe of the supportwill therefore be capable of maintaining the weightof the next board when it is in position for nailing.

In order to properly position the clapboard to be nailed, a'gage 15 isemployed, the same being adjustably mounted on the top of the frame. Thegage comprises a vertically-extending shank 16, that passes through orinto the central channel in the frame. This channel is-indicated at 17and is preferably angular, so that the shank, which is of correspondingshape, will be prevented from turning.

This angular construction of the parts is not pivot-apertures 6 andelongated slots 7, located on the sides of the apertures opposite IIOconnection between each of the necessary, however, since the set-screw18, which holds the gagein its proper position, may serve to prevent thegage from turning. At the upper end of the shank 16 are the lateralextensions 19 and 20, upon theformer of which the lower edge of theclapboard to be nailed in position rests, as shown in Fig. 2.

Both extensions 19 and 20 serve to form a rest when the board is in aflat position thereon for sawing off the end thereof. This function. ofthe gage is an important feature, since it permits of the boards to besawed off to the proper length after the proper measurements have beenascertained without having'to take the boards completely down from thesupport-and place them on horses so as to Fe sawed off, as has been thecustom heretoore.

I have described the principle of operation of the invention, togetherwith the apparatus which I now consider to be the best embodimentthereof; but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown ismerely illustrative and that various changes in minor features ofconstruction, proportions, and arrangement of parts may be restored towithout sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

What is claimed is 1. In a device of the class described, thecombinationof a frame, a stationary jaw thereon, a plurality of movable jaws, alever for actuating the jaws, and a slot-and-pin movable jaws and lever.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a rectangularframe, a stationary jaw arranged thereon, two movable jaws one on eachside of the frame, and a double-arm lever connected with themovable jawsand arranged with its arms disposed on opposite sides of the frame.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a frame havinga fixed jaw and a projection at opposite ends and on the same side, ahook-sha ed movable jaw located between the fixed jaw and projection,and a lever for actuating the movable j aw and holding it in lockedposition.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a frame havinga fixed jaw and a projection at opposite ends and on the same side, ahook-shaped movable jaw located between the fixed jaw and projection andprovided with an elongated slot, a lever mounted on the frame foractuating the movable jaw, and a )ivot-pin carried by the lever which ismovab e in said slot for motion to the movable jaw.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a frame in theshape of a block provided with a channel of angular cross-section, meansfor attaching the frame to a clapboard comprising pivoted jaws and abifurcated lever spanning the block and hingedly connected with thejaws, a gage provided with a shank of angular cross-section engaging inthe said channel and having lateral extensions, and means carried by theframe for adjusting the position of the gage.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a frameprovided with a longitudinal channel, a stationary jaw on the same,movable jaws pivoted on the outside of the frame, means for actuatingthe jaws, a gage provided with a shank extending into the channel andhaving lateral extensions, and aset-screw for engaging the shank ofthegage.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

' EDWARD I-IEBERT.

imparting

